Is Surgery Necessary for Late-Stage Liver Cancer?

When it comes to late-stage liver cancer, the term usually refers to cases where the tumor can no longer be surgically removed. Treatment options for liver cancer fall into two main categories: surgical and non-surgical approaches. Surgical treatments include curative resection, ablation therapy, and liver transplantation. Ablation therapy itself can be further divided into radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation.

Whether surgery is necessary for late-stage liver cancer depends heavily on the patient's specific condition. Each case must be evaluated individually, taking into account various factors such as tumor size, location, liver function, and whether there is distant metastasis.

If the patient's general condition is relatively good, liver transplantation might still be an option. In many cases, curative resection is not feasible due to large tumor size or invasion of major blood vessels. However, if there is no evidence of distant metastasis and the patient's overall health allows for it, liver transplantation can be considered. This approach may significantly improve both quality of life and survival rates, especially for patients with large tumors, impaired liver function, and no distant spread but good tolerance to surgery.

On the other hand, if the patient's condition is poor, surgery may not be the best course of action. For individuals with widespread metastasis and severely compromised liver function, surgical intervention is often not recommended. In such cases, non-surgical treatments like liver-protecting therapies, albumin supplementation, and palliative care become the focus. These strategies aim to alleviate symptoms, reduce discomfort, and extend life expectancy as much as possible.

In summary, while surgery is not always viable for late-stage liver cancer, each patient's situation must be carefully reviewed by a medical team to determine the most appropriate and beneficial treatment plan.